Week 1 Saturday produced plenty of predictable blowouts, but it will be remembered most for one of the strangest finishes Michigan Stadium has ever seen, a stunning opening statement from LSU, and an uncomfortable afternoon for No. 2 Oregon.
No. 16 Michigan 13, Western Michigan 12: Michigan appeared to have suffered a shocking upset when Bryce Underwood's desperation pass fell incomplete with the clock at 0:00, but replay officials determined that a Western Michigan defender who had established himself out of bounds touched the ball with one second remaining, making the ball dead at that point. Given another play, Underwood launched a 47-yard Hail Mary that JJ Buchanan caught for the winning touchdown, rescuing the Wolverines after they committed three turnovers, drew nine penalties and possessed the ball for less than 20 minutes. The Big Ten subsequently released video supporting the decision, and the MAC said it accepted the conference's explanation, but the ending will undoubtedly remain one of the season's most debated moments.
No. 11 LSU 51, Clemson 10: If Lane Kiffin wanted to announce his arrival in Baton Rouge, this accomplished it. LSU overwhelmed Clemson 644-145 in total offense, led 31-3 at halftime and rolled to a 41-point victory that represented the worst loss of Dabo Swinney's Clemson tenure. Sam Leavitt passed for 230 yards while rushing for 113 yards and two touchdowns, and Dilin Jones added another 113 rushing yards and two scores as LSU looked every bit like an immediate SEC and national championship threat.
No. 2 Oregon 34, Boise State 27: Oregon survived, but this was hardly the comfortable opener expected from the nation's No. 2 team. Boise State led 17-7 in the second quarter, tied the game at 24 late in the third and went back ahead 27-24 early in the fourth before Oregon finally responded, with Dante Moore's 62-yard touchdown pass to Dakorien Moore providing the decisive score. Moore threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns, but 10 Oregon penalties and a turnover helped keep Boise State in position to win until the final minutes.
No. 1 Ohio State 56, Ball State 3: The defending No. 1 ranking looked justified in Columbus, where Ohio State piled up 671 yards and allowed only 165. Julian Sayin completed 21 of 25 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns, while Jeremiah Smith caught eight passes for 151 yards and two spectacular scores before sitting out the second half, providing an impressive tune-up before next week's showdown at Texas.
No. 3 Georgia 63, Tennessee State 3: Georgia wasted almost no time ending any suspense, scoring 28 first-quarter points and rolling up 660 total yards. Gunner Stockton completed 15 of 16 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns, while Nate Frazier scored three times on only four carries as the Bulldogs were able to turn the game over to their reserves early.
No. 5 Texas 59, Texas State 7: Arch Manning opened his season with one of his sharpest performances, throwing for 305 yards and four touchdowns as Texas led 28-7 at halftime and added 21 more points in the third quarter. Ryan Wingo topped 100 receiving yards and Cam Coleman caught two touchdowns, giving the Longhorns plenty of momentum entering the much more consequential meeting with Ohio State.
No. 6 Indiana 52, North Texas 16: The defending national champions extended the nation's longest FBS winning streak to 17 games, although the final score was more dominant than some of the underlying numbers. North Texas actually slightly outgained Indiana, but Josh Hoover was extremely efficient, completing 13 of 16 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, and the Hoosiers scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
No. 8 Texas A&M 50, Missouri State 0: The Aggies delivered one of Saturday's most impressive defensive performances, holding Missouri State to an astonishing 67 total yards. Marcel Reed threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns, while Texas A&M controlled the ball for nearly 42 minutes and gradually turned the game into a rout.
No. 12 Texas Tech 33, Abilene Christian 10: Texas Tech's opener was not as explosive as some of the other Top 25 blowouts, but it was comfortable throughout. Will Hammond returned from last season's ACL injury to throw for 298 yards and a touchdown, while the defending Big 12 champions extended their home winning streak to nine games.
No. 13 Alabama 48, East Carolina 10: Alabama began 2026 with a convincing performance that featured encouraging signs from both lines of scrimmage and a productive rushing attack. Quarterback Keelon Russell directed the offense effectively, although a few mistakes and pre-snap issues gave Kalen DeBoer something to address before SEC play intensifies.
No. 14 BYU 63, Utah Tech 7: BYU led 42-0 at halftime and spent much of the second half giving younger players opportunities. Bear Bachmeier threw three touchdown passes and ran for another before halftime, while freshman receiver Legend Glasker scored three times on only four touches as the Cougars outgained Utah Tech 521-184.
No. 18 Penn State 45, Marshall 0: The Matt Campbell era could hardly have started better, as Penn State recorded a shutout while producing 464 yards of offense. Rocco Becht threw for 271 yards and four touchdowns, Koby Howard exploded for 161 receiving yards, and the Nittany Lions held Marshall to just 147 total yards.
No. 20 Tennessee 56, Furman 9: True freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon immediately justified the excitement surrounding him, accounting for five touchdowns in his collegiate debut. Brandon threw for 226 yards and three scores while rushing for 68 yards and two more touchdowns, giving Tennessee another potentially dynamic quarterback to build around.
No. 22 Iowa 40, Northern Illinois 0: Iowa scoring 40 points might be nearly as noteworthy as the shutout, with the Hawkeyes producing 507 yards of offense while limiting Northern Illinois to 120. Kamari Moulton rushed for a career-high 183 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries, while Iowa added six sacks and a 77-yard punt-return touchdown.
No. 23 Houston 33, Oregon State 20: Houston built a 26-7 advantage before Oregon State made the game interesting by cutting the margin to six in the fourth quarter. Conner Weigman threw for 305 yards, and Houston's 228-yard rushing attack helped the Cougars finish with 533 total yards and ultimately put away the Beavers.
Auburn 17, Baylor 16: One of the day's other dramatic endings came in Atlanta, where Byrum Brown's 11-yard touchdown run gave Auburn a seven-point lead late. Baylor scored with 11 seconds remaining and went for two and the win, but Eric Winters tackled Matthew Klopfenstein inches short of the goal line, giving Alex Golesh a memorable victory in his Auburn debut.
Florida 66, Florida Atlantic 21: Florida poured on 38 first-half points and never allowed FAU to seriously threaten an upset in Gainesville. The Owls did manage three touchdowns and reached the red zone four times, but Florida answered almost every positive FAU possession with another score of its own.
Kansas State 71, Nicholls 3: Collin Klein's head-coaching debut became an offensive exhibition, with Kansas State scoring its most points since 2000. Avery Johnson set the school's career touchdown-pass record, six different Wildcats scored rushing touchdowns and K-State amassed 559 yards while holding Nicholls to only 122.
UCLA 45, California 24: The revived California rivalry was tied 24-24 entering the fourth quarter before UCLA completely took over, scoring the final 21 points. Wayne Knight scored three touchdowns, Anthony Woods rushed for 118 yards and two scores, and consecutive fourth-quarter interceptions of Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele helped Bob Chesney turn his UCLA debut into an impressive road victory at a sold-out Memorial Stadium.
By the end of Saturday, most of the country's leading contenders had handled their opening assignments, but they did so in dramatically different ways. LSU may have raised its national ceiling more than anyone, Michigan escaped a potentially season-altering disaster by the narrowest imaginable margin, and Oregon walked away undefeated but with considerably more questions than a No. 2 team usually wants after Week 1.